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.-(NoMod 1..) I 4Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. H. R. DINSMORE. APPARATUS FOR MAKINGILLUMINATING GAS FROM GOAL. No.413,226.

Patented dot. 22, 1889.

N. PEIERS, Phfllo-UMrapher. Wanhingiofs 0.1;

(No'ModeL) v 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. H. R. DINSMORE.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ILLUMINATING GAS FROM GOAL. No. 413,226. {PatentedOct. 22, 1889.. A w

(No Model.)

, 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.7 J. R-.- DINSMORE. I APPARATUS FORMAKINGILLUMIN-ATING GAS PROM GOAL.

No. 413,226. Patented Oct. 22, 1889.

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N. PETERS. Fhoto-Lilhographer, wmu m a a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HENRY RICHARDSON DINSMORE, OF LIVERPOOL, COUNTY OF LANCASTER,ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING lLLUMlNATlNG-GAS FROM COAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,226, dated October22, 1889.

Application filed July 18, 1888. Serial No. 280,309. (No model.)Patented in France July 17, 1888, No. 191,851,- in Belgium July 18,1888,1T0. 82,605,- in Spain October 2, 1888,1T0. 8,519,- in CanadaNovember 16,1888,No. 80,201, and in Austria- HungaryJ'anuary 13, 1889,No. 29,683 and No. 49,982-

provements in Apparatus for Making Illumimating-Gas from Coal, (forwhich I have received Letters Patent in France, No. 191,851, dated July17, 1888; in Belgium, No. 82,605,

dated July 18,1888; in Canada, No. 30,201,

dated November 16, 1888; in Austria-Hungary, No. 29,683 and No. 49,982,dated January 13, 1889, and in Spain, No. 8,519, dated October 2, 1888,)of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for manufacturing illuminating-gasfrom coal in closed vessels or retorts, and more particularly to thatkind of apparatus by which it is or has been proposed to renderpermanent practically all the heavy or tarry vapors or liquids, as wellas the lighter products given ofi from the coal by distillation, and toso make them useful for the product-ion of light and heat.

My present invention has mainly for its object, among other things, (a)to convert the tar or tarry vapors or liquors given off from orresulting from the manufacture of gas from coal into permanent gas; (I?)to carry out this and other objects incident to the said manufacture byapparatus in which the ordinary re torts of gas-works are renderedavailable for making gas according to my invention, and (c) to providecertain constructions and arrangements of parts by which this inventioncan be most conveniently practiced.

For convenience of description I will set forth, first, that part of myinvention relating to the mode or arrangement by which I render usefulthe existing ordinary retorts of gas-works to the manufacture of gasaccording to my invention. ThisI effect as follows: The ordinarydistilling-retorts may be taken in their existing arrangement; then,above each bench or group of them I arrange one retort or a set ofretorts through which the gases after leaving the distilling-retorts arepassed to be fixed. The fixing retort or retorts are heated by the samefurnace-gases which are used to heat the distilling-retorts.

by which gas is prevented from flowing back and escaping when aretort-door is opened, and from which the tar deposited in it is causedto pass to the fixing-retort. I also use on or in connection with thesefixing-retorts a cooled passage or passages by which the well knowndifficulty of stopped or blocked-up pipes or passages is prevented. Thecooled parts preferably consist of passages kept in a comparatively coolcondition by water or other fluid circulated round or over theirexterior; but any other coolingfluid may be used. These cooled passages,besides preventing stopped pipes, condense and'arrest a portion of thetarry or heavy vapors in the gas; and these condensed liquors fall backinto the fixing-retort and are converted into permanent gas. Into theheated retorts I also introduce tar condensed from the gas after it hasleft such retorts. This returned tar may very conveniently be deliveredinto the seal troughs or chambers.

The illuminative quality of the gas produced by the apparatus justdescribed is considerably higher than that possessed by gas produced inthe ordinary way from coal, and the quantity given off from a givenquantity of coal is also far greater than that manufactured by theprocesses commonly practiced.

The above description sets forth generally the nature, object, andpurposes of my invention; but to make the same more clearIwill nowproceed to describe it with the aid of the drawings accompanying thisspecification and forming a part thereof. The drawings, together withthe following description of them, set forth examples of apparatus orplant in and by which themanufacture of gas according to this inventionmay be conveniently and successfully conducted. At the same time theyillustrate apparatus specially de-" signed for carrying out myinvention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows in sectional elevation an apparatusembodying improvements according to my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view,partly in section, of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows amodified arrangement of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2; andFig. 4 is an end view, partly in. section, of this apparatus. Figs. 5and 6,respectively, are a sectional elevation and plan of aslightly-modified form and arrangement of the parts connected with theheated retort illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Throughout the figures of the drawings like letters and figures are usedto denote like or corresponding parts of the apparatus.

With reference, in the first instance, to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings,A designates the ordinary distilling-retorts of a bench set closelytogether in the ordinary way; B, the fixing-retort, common to all theretorts A O, the seal-chamber, which is in the form of a trough, and 1)E cooled passages. to are the retort-mouths, and ct a? are theascensionpipes and dip-pipes, respectively, communicating between theretorts A and the sealtrough O. The retorts A are those in which thecoal is distilled in the usual way, and are set in any known way. In theexample four of the ordinary retorts A are used and set in a bench. Itwill, however, be evident that the improvements according to thisinvention can be applied and carried out in benches of retorts havingthree distilling-retorts and upward, accordingly as the number ofretorts existing or required in gas-works varies.

Assuming that the bench of distilling-retorts illustrated in thisexample represents one of a number of benches having four or fiveretorts in each, then, mainly, all that is necessary to do to render theexisting retorts applicable for use in carrying out this invention is tointroduce the fixing-retort B (or, if five distilling-retorts exist,remove the uppermost and introduce the fixing-retort) and apply theseal-trough and cooled passages, the main parts being either retained orothers used in their places, as may be required or deemed expedient.

The seal-chamber C and cooled passage D consist of ahorizontally-arranged trough and a passage descending from such troughat right angles to it, the whole being supported upon the upper end ofthe vertical entrance I) of the retort B. The liquid of the trough,which will consist chiefly of tar, ammoniacal liquor, and some wateryliquor,is maintained in it at a constant level by the wall of thepassage 61' and overflow-pipe c, and the dippipes a are immersed in theliquor to adepth just sufficient to seal them under working conditions.The cooling-passage D is composed of annular walls (1 (Z leaving anaunular space 01 between them, in which space the cooling-fluid,preferably water, is circulated. The bottom-of the trough O is also ofdouble formation, as shown, forming a space for cooling-fluid. Thisspace and the space d of the cooling-passage D communicate freely witheach other, and the cooling-fluid used is common to both. The chiefobject and effect of cooling the trough G are to keep the tar in it in afluid state. It will be obvious if the cooling-fluid be water thatitstemperature will be considerably greater than that of the atmosphere;but it will be sufficiently low for the purposes which will now beexplained. The combined effect upon the trough G and passage D is thatthe tar in the trough O' is kept in a freely liquid state and thepassage cool enough to prevent deposition of carbon or pitch therein. Itwill be seen that by sealing the pipes from the dis tilling-retorts, asdescribed, and providing a common outlet cl to the common fixing-retortB no through-communication between the fixing-retort and thedistillingretorts A exists, and that when any one or more retorts A areopened for any purpose the escape of gas from the trough back to suchretort or retorts is prevented and the process of distillation in theothers is not impeded. The cooled passage E, at the exit end of theretort B, consists of outer and inner walls 6 6 having between them theannular space a Onto the upper end of this passage the outlet-pipe F isplaced, and the passage itself is supported by the vertical exit portion7) of the retort B. The cooling-fluid is circulated through the space 6inlet and outlet pipes being provided, as will be understood.

The operation and effects of manufacturing gas in the apparatus aboveset forth are as follows: The coal is placed in the retorts A anddistilled by heat in the ordinary Way, and the gas evolved from the coalis passed into the common seal-trough 0. Here it deposits a part of itstar and condensable matters, such as ammoniacal vapors. It then passesthrough the artificially-cooled passage D, wherein further quantities ofthe tar and other condensable matters in it are arrested. After leavingthis passage the bulk then passes onto the fixing-retort B. In thecondition the gas enters the duct a considerable portion of it is notpermanent; but in passing through it the whole is subject to the heat ofthe fixing-retort, and thereby the greater part of the non-permanentportion is rendered permanent. Atthe termination of the fixing-retortthe gas comes under the cooling influence of the artificially-cooledpassage E, and the greater portion of the tarry or nonpermanent vaporsstill existing in the gas are condensed and arrested. The matterscondensed in this passage E, as well as the heavier portion of thosecondensed in the trough U and passage D, (and the returned tar, ashereinafter described,) fall back into the retort B, and in the presenceof freshly-distilled gas from the retort A are converted into gas. Theammoniacal and other lighter liquors condensed in the trough C are,however, drained away by a pipe 0', which is placed at such a height inthe trough as to drain them off, but so as to leave the heavier matters,mainly tar. This latter liquid, being the ITS heaviest, lies at thebottom of the trough, and I it has to be raised over the lip of the piped in order to get into the retort B. This is done automatically, asfollows: As soon as the head of the lighter liquids in the trough 0reaches a certain level the tar lying at the bottom of the trough isforced under the lower edge of the pipe d, up between this pipe and thepipe 01, and so on up to the level of the lip of the overflow-pipe d.When it rises to this level, it falls over the lip and flows down to thelower edge thereof, from which it falls direct onto the highly-heatedsurface of the bottom of the retort B. The pipe (1 is purposely madesmaller than either the passage D or the entrance Z), so that theliquids falling from the pipe cl shall not, in falling, touch any heatedsurface which is not red-hot and of sufficient temperature to gasifythem. The pipe d is so made that this end is obtained, and the lowerpart of the passage D is also contracted at (1 whereby a like effect isobtained-that is to say, the matters condensed within the passsage I)gravitate to the contracted opening 61 whence they fall direct onto thebottom of the retort B. I have found that if tar be supplied to heatedpipes or re torts, in the manner I- have just described that is, directon to red-hot surfaces and in thepresence of gas freshly distilled inthe retorts-nearly the whole of the tar is converted into permanentilluminating-gas; but if the tar be allowed to flow to heated ductsorpipes over a surface of gradually increasing heat, or one not at aredheat to one that is red hot, the greater part of the tar will not bedistilled or gasified, a large proportion of it being deposited as pitchupon that part'of the surface which is not red-hot. The construction ofpassages D and E above set forth affords a very convenient means or modeof effecting the complete, or nearly complete, gasification of the tar.

A suitable temperature to which the retorts may be heated and at whichthey may be worked is that denoted by a clearcherryred color,'known ingas-makin g as a medium temperature.

After the gas leaves the distilling apparatus illustrated it may beconducted through a considerable length of inclined pipe, as is verycommonly practiced, before delivery to the condensing and washingapparatus. In this pipe, and also in the process of Washing andcondensing, a certain quantity of tar will be removed from the gas. Now,this tar I bring back to the distilling apparatus, by gravity orotherwise, to convert it into gas, and introduce it preferably into thesealtrough O by a pipe c ,whence it finds its way, with the tardeposited therein, into the fixingretort B, as described, and is theregasified in the presence of freshly-distilled gas coming over from oneor more of the retorts A, and is thereby made into permanentilluminating-gas.

It will be observed that the tar introduced into the fixing-retort atits entrance end is there converted into gas,which thence passes throughthe length of the fixing-retort, and is, along with the other gas,rendered permanent or fixed before it is discharged from the exit end ofthe fixing-retort.

The ammoniacal liquor is led off from the seal-trough O, as abovedescribed, in order to prevent the temperature of that portion of theretort B onto which the tar from the sealtrough 0 drops from fallingbelow that necessary to gasify it all or nearly all. ere the ammoniacalliquor admitted with the tar this end'might not be so effectivelyobtained, as the extra quantity of liquor to be gasified or vaporizedwould materially reduce the temperature of the duct at the said partonto which it would fall. Y

Any deposits that may take place in the retort B can be readily removedthrough the open end of the retort, which, under ordinary conditions,isclosed by the door 11 A modified arrangement of the exit end of theretort B consists in prolonging the duct and carrying it outside the endwall of the retort-bench. In such a case the vertical upright portion I)might be dispensed with, and the cooling-passage E would be secured,directly onto the end of the retort B and provided withan inclinedbottom so formed as to cause the matters condensed therein to gravitateinto the hot duct. I however prefer to employ the arrangement of ductand passage E, as shown in the drawings.

' The gas resulting from the process of manufacture thus far definitelydescribed would, if made from ordinary bituminous gas-making coalsuch asthat known as Lancashire or Yorkshire coal, not cannelpossess anilluminating power equal to about twenty-three candles, and the volumeof permanent or fixed produced per ton of coal would be from abouttwelve thousand to thirteen thousand cubic feet. This quality of gas ishigher than is desired by most gasmanufacturers. Now, the excess ofilluminative properties above that required I turn to that which is morea desideratum to gasmakersnamely, an increase of volume per unit ofcoal. This I do by admixing hydrogen, water-gas, or other diluent gaswith the coal-gas to such an extent as to reduce its illuminativequalities to that required. If the quality of gas required be equal to,say, seventeen candles, the volume will be increased to about seventeenthousand cubic feet. Thus the quantity of water-gas added would be fourthousand cubic feet; To this end I use one of the retorts A to producethe water-gas or hydrogen.

The operation is as follows: The retort is filled with coke, and steamis admitted to the steam-nozzle a, through the piped. 1t passes throughthe pipe a to the end of the retort,

thereby becoming superheated, and then ITO travels back through theincandescent coke to the mouth of the retort, and so on up to theascension-pipe a, and dip-pipe a into the trough 0. Here the water-gasproduced joins with the coal-gas coming from the retorts A, and inpassing together through the passages and the fixing-retort B theybecome intimately and homogeneously mixed and blended. In passingthrough the coke the oxygen of the steam combines with the carbon of thecoke, becoming carbonic oxide, the hydrogen being thereby liberated. Ifdesired, the pipe a may be filled with iron filings or cuttings forproducing hydrogen, or with refractory material for superheating thesteam when hydrogen is not required" In Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawingsthere is illustrated another arrangement of apparatus by which theexisting distilling-retorts of agas-works may be used in manufacturinggas according to this invention, but in which each retort is providedwith a separate fixing-retort. In this modification each retort isprovided with a double retort B B, and each double retort is providedwith the separate cooled passages D D and seal-trough O, and also with aseparate terminal cooled passage E. All the troughs of a bench O arecast in one piece, the several compartments being separated bypartitions h. The gas made in the retorts A passes by the pipes to intothe lower of its fixing-retorts B, and to the sealtrough C. It thenpasses down the second fixing-retort B and on through the terminalcooled passage E to the gas-main. Thus the gas in this case is, afterleaving the fixingretort proper, first subjected to the heat of theretort B. It is then subjected to the cooling influence of the passagesD, and then is again heated in passing through the second hot retort B,and, finally, it is subjected to a second cooling influence in passingthrough the cooled passage E. The sealing in the tanks 0, by which gasis prevented from returning to the retorts when their doors are opened,is effected by the curtain (W, (this curtain is equivalent to thedippipes at) the lower edge of which dips into the tar which lies in thetrough 0 between the two pipes forming the passages D D. A secondcurtain d is provided and separates the trough into two parts, one beingthe part through which the gas from the cooled passage D passes to theother, and the other being the part to which the tar-return pipe 0 isconnected,and to which the tar returned from the gas-main, scrubbers,and condensers is introduced. The upper part of this portion is open tothe atmosphere, as shown, and the lighter liquors are taken away from itby the pipe 0. This curtain d serves the same purpose as the pipe d, setforth with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, namely: When the liquid rises inthe outer open part to a certain height above the level of the lips ofthe passages D in the trough the tar which will lie at the bottom willbe forced under the edge of the curtain d and up into the inner por tionof the trough, and so on to the passages D. In all cases, it will beobvious, inlet and outlet pipes for supplying and carrying away thecooling-fluids to the spaces or jackets of the different cooled passagesand parts are provided. These are designated 1 throughout the views. Thetar from the seal-trough O, in flowing down the pipes D and E,beforeentering the heated retort B, has to flow over the toe 01 at which pointthe passages are contracted. From this toe it drops directly onto thered-hot surfaces of the horizontal portions of the retort B. Thisconstruction and the effect thereof are in substance the same as thatpreviously set fortl with referenceto Figs. 1 and 2.

The modification of apparatus illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 consists,essentially, in providing an arrangement of parts by which the gas canbe diverted from its normal passage or course through the fixing-retortB, as previously set forth with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. Thecondition which may render this necessary is when from time to-timeaccess must be had to the interior of the retort B, in order to clean orscrape it, or for other purposes; and this necessitates the removal oropening of the door b of such fixingretort, which obviously cannot bedone while one or more distilling-retorts of a bench are in operationwithout a large loss of gas. To avoid this loss, I provide a valve it,placed and working in a valve-case h, with which case are provided fouropenings or apertures communicating with the four pipes or passages h,7L2, F, and F, by means of which the gas coming from thedistillingretorts can be caused to pass either directly from the chamberO to the outlet-pipe F, or first through the fixing-retort B and thenthrough the outlet-pipe F. These pipes and passages are arranged asfollows: The passage h leads to the seal-chamber 0 through the pipe clof its trapped outlet, comprising the passage or pipe d and the annularpipe d, previously described. The pipe 71 leads to the coolingpassage Dof the retort B. The pipe F leads to the cooling-passage E, and the pipeF is that by which the gas is led away from the bench. Then, if it beassumed the door b of the retort B is to be opened or removed, and it isdesired to divert the gas from its normal course or passage, the valve his placed in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 6, whereby as thegas comes from the chamber C it is short-circuited through theoutlet-pipe F that is, it is passed directly from the chamber 0 throughthe casing 77, of the valve, and out by the pipe F, without first beingallowed to pass through the retort B. Now, if the door of thefixing-retort be closed and the gas is to take its normal course throughthe said retort B, as set forth with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, theValve h is turned until it takes the position shown in dotted lines, andthe gas then passes from the chamber 0 through the valve-case 77 in thedirection shown by the arrows drawn in dotted lines-that is, it firstfrom the retort B it passes through the pipe F, valve-case h a secondtime, on the opposite side of the valve h, and away by the out:

let-pipe F. The ammoniacal liquors deposited in the chamber 0 in thiscase flow away bythe pipe 0, and the tar is returned to the trough, aspreviously set forth; also, the tar is caused to leave the chamber bythe trapped outlet in the same manner as already described Wit-hreference to Figs. 1 and 2; but instead.of falling directly from thepipe 2' into the heated retort B, as set forth with reference to thosefigures, in this instance it first flows down the pipe 1 into the pipeh, whence it gravitates by wayof the valve-case 72 into and through thepassage 72 and so on to the upper opening or aperture in thecooling-passage D, whence it falls directly onto the red-hot surface ofthe retort B, as and for the purposes already described.

Although, as stated, this invention can be applied in part or as a wholewith advantage to existing gas-making apparatus, yet at the same time itis evident that it can be used and embodied in new works and withequally efficient results.

I do not claim herein the process or method of making gas described inthe foregoing specification and illustrated in the drawings filedherewith, since it forms the subject-matter of a pending applicationfiled by me on even date herewith, bearing Serial No. 280,308.

Having thus fully described the said invention and the manner ofoperating the same, I Wish it to be understood that I do not bind orconfine myself to the special forms of the apparatusabove described, forit will be evident to those skilled in the art of manufacturing gas andmaking gas-manufacturing apparatus that the several details or parts andthe exact arrangement of them, as well as their forms, may be greatlyvaried without departing from the nature, spirit, or scope of the saidinvention. On the other hand, I Wish it to be understood I do not claimthe application and use generally as separate things of a heated fixingretort or retorts in connection with coal-distilling retortsorcooling-passages, as these features, as separate things, have beenhitherto proposed; but

"What I do claim is-- V 1. In a bench of coal-distilling apparatus, thecombination of a distilling-retort adapted to receive the fuel to bedistilled, a fixing-retort'adapted to be externally heated, and a ductadapted to be artificially cooled, said duct being arranged directlyabove and springing vertically from said fixing-retort, and providedwith a pipe connecting the distillingretort with said duct,substantially as described.

2. In a bench of coal-distilling apparatus, the combination of adistilling-retort adapted to receive the-fuel to be distilled, afixing-retort adapted to be externally heated, ducts adapted to beartificially cooled, one of said ducts being at each end of saidfixing-retort and both being arranged directly above and springingvertically from the same, a liquid seal in direct contact with one ofsaid ducts, and a pipe connecting the distilling-retort with said duct,substantially as described.

3. In a bench of coal-distilling apparatus, the combination of adistilling-retort adapted to receive the fuel to be distilled, afixing-retort adapted to be externally heated, a duct adapted to beartificially cooled, a liquid seal in direct contact with said, duct,and a pipe connecting the distilling-retort with said liquid seal,substantially as described,

4. In a bench of coal-distilling apparatus,

' the combination of a fixing-retort adapted to be externally heated,ducts adapted to be artifically cooled, one arranged on each end of saidretort, in communication therewith and arranged directly above andspringing vertically from it, and a liquid seal in connection with oneof said ducts, substantially as described.

5. In a bench of coal-distilling apparatus, the combination of a retort,a duct adapted to be artificially cooled in communication therewith andarrauged directly above and spring-ingvertically from said retort,provided with an opening thereto smaller than the communicating passage,substantially as described. I g 6. In a bench of gas-making retorts, adistilling-retort adapted to receive the fuel to be distilled, afixing-retort adapted to be externally heated, a duct adapted to beartificially cooled, and a valvechamber having inlet-pipes connected,respectively, with said duct, said distilling-retort, saidfixing-retort, and with an exit-pipe, combined with a fourway valvewithin said valve-chamber, so, ar-

ranged that the course of the gas from said distilling-retort to saidexit-pipemaybe either through said duct and said fixing-retort or fromsaid distilling-retort directlyto said exit-pipe, substantially asdescribed.

'7. In an apparatus for making gas, the combination of adistilling-retort, a fixing-retort adapted to be externally heated, asuit able device for introducing liquid tar into said fixing-retort atthe entrance end, and

an artificiallycooled duct arranged illlllle diately upon the exit orgas-outlet end of said fixing-retort, whereby the tar-gas after it isdistilled passes through the fixing-retort to make it permanent, and onleaving said retort immediately enters the cooled duct, substantially asdescribed.

JOHN HENRY RICHARDSON DINSllIORE. V Witnesses:

ERNEST R. RoYsToN,

FREDERICK T. CHEESBROUGH, Both of 15 Water Street, Lirerpool, England.

